Loyalty In Beowulf: The Epic Beliefs Of The Anglo-Saxon Culture

Throughout the text of Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxons translated their beliefs when they passed this epic tale generation to generation. Loyalty existed as one of the strongest beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons. They believed that loyalty to the authority would lead normal people to greatness and rewards. Another belief expressed in Beowulf was the establishment of the epic hero. These heroes could do more than regular men could, as they defined themselves as strong, loyal, and well known people. While honoring these heroes, regular people would do whatever they could to serve them because of their great status. The Anglo-Saxons also believed in a strong woman figure, which presented itself in the form of Grendel’s mother. The strong woman figure held an important role to the Anglo-Saxons as they valued woman just as much as men. These beliefs can also translate back to the Human Condition in that each component exists as a part of something that humans must go through in life.

Primarily, loyalty lies at the root of Anglo-Saxon culture. In Beowulf,

Beowulf, the distinct hero in this epic poem, was adorned by many, was a strong and very loyal character, and could do what a normal man could not. “Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy sword, hammered by giants, strong and blessed with their magic, the best of all weapons but so massive no ordinary man could life its carved and decorated length…” “...And struck with all the strength he had left, caught her neck and cut it through, broke bones and all.” (Raffel, 37). Beowulf was almost conquered by Grendel’s mother, but his intuition, strength, and skill all played a role in his success over her. This belief that a man can do the extraordinary can relate to the Human Condition because without conflict, there would not be anything an epic hero could do that a regular man could not. Similarly, a person that lives their life must overcome many obstacles to become the person that they want to